Ground of Oam is going for free starting today! The promotion runs through Easter Sunday tomorrow, so be sure to download a copy before it's to late. Thanks, and I'll see you next Thursday for chapter two of my short story!

No part of this story may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author.

Chapter One: Stranded

Salt water sucked up into Arius’ nose causing his sinuses
and lungs to burn. He opened his mouth to spew out the water, but only managed
to take more in as he struggled to breath. He felt weightless as his body sunk;
kicking his feet he vainly tried to find ground. His body bobbed back up to the
surface where he gasped for air, only to sink back under the icy surface of the
ocean.

Arius’ heart raced as he struggled against the motion of the
waves. He knew how to swim, but his skill seemed to have left him for the cruel
will of the ocean. His head was under again; he knew not where he faced.
Bubbles swirled around his face within the dark depth of the ocean. A blue
light radiated deep within the water growing brighter as it sunk. Arius knew
what it was and tried to propel himself away from it, but it was too late. The
light flashed before him, illuminating the dark depths for only an instance. He
felt the water surge toward him, and he found himself propelled away from the
blast. He surfaced for only a moment as the wave carried him skyward before he
crashed back into the ocean.

More salt water breached his lungs, but now he felt a sandy
surface beneath him. Kicking his feet he managed to stand up right where the
cold wind now stung his skin. A small wave pushed him forward, and he stumbled
farther toward the beach coughing along the way.

Shouting could be heard all around him as more figures
slopped their way to the beach. Arius glanced around the perimeter to find
miles of ocean behind them, and a small island ahead of them. The moon in that
place was full but small compared to his home moon. Dark clouds hazed the sky,
and lightning flashed miles across the ocean.

Arius stumbled back into the water which was now only a foot
high. His fingers sunk into the sand which felt soft. He coughed water from his
lungs before someone grabbed him from behind. Arius had little time to react as
he was drug farther inland. His assailant threw him onto the dry sand before
turning him around to face him.

“Are you all right Arius?” Brockumus asked, slapping him on
the back two times.

It caused him to cough up more water before he waved the man
off.

“It’s freezing,” he chocked out.

“Keep moving,” Brockumus said. “We have to find shelter.”

With that the man moved on to assist the others whom were
pulling out adrift luggage. They would have to take what they could and destroy
the rest lest anyone discover it. The explosion would have incinerated most of
their things, but there was sure to be equipment floating around the area.

Arius pushed himself to his feet and fought the weakening in
his legs. The place was foreign to him, and now the only way off of the planet
was destroyed. He felt a tremor in the sky as lighting streaked across it. Soon
the atmosphere came crashing back together to cause a loud bang over the
island. Arius’s arm hairs stood on end as he felt it vibrate through the air
and sink into the ground. He could feel the entire beach beneath him. The wind
through the trees, the waves against the beach. He could feel it all as his
senses picked up on the slightest movement.

Turning to face the vast ocean Arius stared into
the moon which was slowly disappearing behind the clouds. Its white light
caressed the surface of the ocean while lightning flashed around it. A downpour
opened up across the ocean, silhouetted by the moonlight. The cold rain roared
toward them before the entire beach was assailed by its fury. Arius put his
hand over his eyes in order shield them from the rain; his commander barked
orders to them. It was time to retreat deeper inland where they could find
shelter. They were on a foreign world, and they had no way off of it.Thanks for reading my pilot chapter, and more will be presented next Thursday. Please leave a comment if you will, and let me know what you think. Also, check out my book.Buy on Kindle here.

So it's a cool spring morning where I am at, which is good compared to the snow laden days we have been having up here in Montana. Lately it has been snowing throughout the night only to melt off in the day, but I sense warmer weather coming (for now). The only problem with warmer weather is more wind, something Montana has a problem with. If I were to be living in the mountains it wouldn't be that big of a deal, but then again I would have more snow to deal with.
Don't forget about my free book promotion coming up this weekend; I will be sure to post again when it begins. However, what I really wanted to make this current post for was to remind you that I will be starting my new series this Thursday; so be sure to stop by. From now on, every Thursday will feature a seven hundred word chapter from my new short story which precedes my first book. It has been a fun challenge writing it, as I am having to keep each chapter concise but exciting. I still have yet to finish it, but there is a good enough head start that I should be able to keep up with it. Of course by this time I have no choice but to keep up with it.
A short description of the story follows:
Arius is soon to be married to his fiancee, though controversy stirs within the family. Months before the marriage he is shipped out on a voluntary mission which is said to be a simple honor mission for his country. He is convinced to volunteer by his future father in law whom Arius hopes to gain the favor of before the wedding. However, things turn bad when the true nature of the mission is revealed. Arius must not only achieve the unimaginable, but he must survive among a team of mercenaries who make a practice of killing. Not only that, but one of them is a traitor whom Arius believes has been hired to dispose of him.
This story is science fiction and takes place upon a foreign world which will have its identity revealed in the story. I hope you'll stop by Thursday to check it out, and feel free to leave some comments.

I will be having a two day free promotion for my book, "Ground of Oam," on 03/30/13 through 03/30/31. So it's not this weekend, but the weekend after. Also, the book is now available in paperback here.
In other news, I am also excited about some new projects I have started on. For one my brother and I are creating a logo for our Oam's Cry series, and hopefully it will be up soon. We're looking for something fancy and eye catching, and I think we've figured something out.
Secondly, I am planning on doing something new with my blog which will hopefully bring in some more traffic. Every Thursday I am going to post a chapter out of my new short story that I am working on. Each chapter is approximately seven hundred words long, which is about one page in Word, so it will be short and easy to read. The story will be preceding my first novel, "Ground of Oam," and will cover some of the events leading up to Book 1. It's been a challenge writing it since I have to cram so much into seven hundred words, but I have found it to be an enjoyable challenge. So if you're in need of some weekly entertainment, check back next Thursday for my pilot chapter, "Stranded." I suppose I should come up with a name for the story now, "funny how I didn't think of that until now," but in the meantime I will be looking forward to sharing it. See you next week!

About Me

My full name is Paul Andrew Lackey, but most people call me Andrew. Born into a family of five (three siblings), I have grown up in the ministry. My vision is for the church as I wish to see true reformation back to God's word, and I am continually excited to see how God is moving in the world abroad.

I love to write and teach, and I have recently published a science fiction fantasy book that is a part of a greater series my brother and I have been working on over the years. Inspired by the adventures we had as children, Oam's Cry is a series spanning hundreds of years. Adventuring across strange worlds, mysterious islands, and haunted lands to outer space, and lost space stations, Oam's Cry has many worlds and mysteries to explore.

About this blog

My main purpose for starting this blog is as an advertisement front for my book series Oam's Cry. I also mean to meet fellow authors and writers along the way. I will try and post something frequently and look forward to seeing you around.